Outsourcing exocad design: a practical guide.
- Remote design means you send scans + a prescription, a designer works in exocad, and you get production-ready STL files back — typically in 24–48 h for crowns and bridges.
- Per-unit fees for crown design commonly sit around 5–10 USD; implant, full-arch and guide work costs more.
- The best way to judge a studio is a free test case on your own job, checked in 3D.
What is remote exocad design?
Remote (outsourced) dental CAD design separates the design step from production. Your lab or clinic keeps scanning, milling, printing, sintering and finishing in-house, while an external designer builds the restoration in exocad DentalCAD from your digital impressions and returns the finished design files.
Labs use it to absorb peak weeks, cover holidays and sick leave, add capacity without hiring another CAD technician, or get help with case types their team designs less often, such as full-arch implant prostheses and surgical guides.
What can be outsourced?
- Crowns, copings, inlays, onlays and veneers (anatomic or with cut-back for layering)
- Bridges, including long-span and segmented bridges
- Implant crowns, screw-retained units and custom abutments
- Full-arch implant prostheses (All-on-4 / All-on-6) and implant bridges
- Night guards and occlusal splints
- Surgical guides, tooth-supported and full-arch
How the workflow looks
- Send the case — scans as STL/PLY or a complete exocad project, plus the prescription.
- Design — margins, anatomy, contacts, occlusion, connectors and emergence profile, set to your material and CAM parameters.
- Review — you check screenshots or an exocad webview/3D file and ask for revisions.
- Produce — you receive the final STL files and the exocad project and mill or print as usual.
What does it cost?
Remote design is priced per unit for crowns and bridges and per arch or per case for full-arch and guide work. Rates vary by studio, but crown design commonly falls in the 5–10 USD per unit range. For reference, these are BoundlessCAD's current prices:
| Design | Price |
|---|---|
| Crown, coping, inlay/onlay, veneer, bridge unit | $6.40 / unit |
| Implant crown or custom abutment | $9.10 / unit |
| Full-arch implant prosthesis (All-on-4 / All-on-6) | $88 / arch |
| Night guard / occlusal splint | $12 / unit |
| Surgical guide | from $86.50 |
| First case | Free |
When comparing, check what is included: revisions, delivery of the exocad project (not only STL), and whether your own design parameters are applied.
Turnaround
Standard crowns and bridges are typically returned in 24–48 hours. Full-arch implant prostheses and surgical guides involve more planning and are usually scheduled per case. Time-zone differences can work in your favour: a case sent at the end of your working day can be designed overnight.
What to send for a good result
Scans
- Prepared arch and antagonist (STL or PLY)
- Bite registration or buccal scan
- Or the complete exocad project
Implant cases
- Implant system and platform
- Scan body used
- Preferred Ti-base / link, screw-retained or cemented
Your parameters
- Material and shade
- Cement gap and minimum thickness
- Connector size for bridges, preferred tooth library
Always use a case code instead of the patient's name. Our Send a case page has a one-minute digital prescription with an FDI tooth chart.
How to judge a remote design studio
- Test on a real case. A free first case shows more than any portfolio.
- Inspect in 3D. Look at margins, proximal contacts, occlusal contacts and minimum thickness in the project or a 3D webview — for example in our 3D case library.
- Check your rules were followed. Cement gap, connectors and library should match what you sent.
- Ask about revisions and turnaround — and what happens on weekends and holidays.
- Confirm data handling. Anonymized files, white-label delivery, no contact with your clients.
Frequently asked questions
Do I lose control over the design?
No. You receive the exocad project together with the STL files, so your team can still adjust anything before production.
Can a remote designer follow our lab's style?
Yes. Send your parameters and preferred libraries once; a good studio applies them to every case and refines them after the first few jobs.
Is it only for labs?
No. Digital clinics with in-house milling or printing use remote design in the same way.
Try it on your next case
Send one real crown, bridge or abutment case — we design it free and return it in 24–48 hours.